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Affiliate marketing glossary
Every affiliate term explained in plain English: commission models, tracking, traffic and program rules.
- Terms
- 46
- Topics
- 7
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AdultVerticalsAdult is the affiliate vertical of 18+ entertainment: paysites, live cams, adult dating and related products, open only to adult audiences.Advertising networkBasicsAn advertising network is a platform that buys ad space from many websites and apps and sells it to advertisers, usually per impression or per click.AffiliateBasicsAn affiliate is an independent partner who promotes another company’s products and earns a commission for each sale or action they bring.Affiliate disclosureProgram termsAn affiliate disclosure is a clear statement telling readers that you may earn a commission from links on the page.Affiliate linkTrackingAn affiliate link is a unique tracking URL that tells the merchant which affiliate sent a visitor.Affiliate marketingBasicsAffiliate marketing is a performance-based model in which a company pays partners a commission for the sales, leads or other actions they refer.Affiliate networkBasicsAn affiliate network is a platform that connects merchants with affiliates, tracks conversions and pays commissions for many programs under one account.Affiliate offerBasicsAn offer is a specific product or campaign an affiliate can promote, with its own payout, conversion action, countries and traffic rules.Affiliate programBasicsAn affiliate program is the set of rules, tracking links and commissions a company offers to partners who promote its products.
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CapProgram termsA cap is the maximum number of conversions an offer will pay in a given period, usually per day or per month.Cardholder namePayments & chargebacksThe cardholder name is the name of the person the payment card was issued to, printed or embossed on the card and entered in the “name on card” field at checkout.ChargebackPayments & chargebacksA chargeback is a forced reversal of a card payment, started by the cardholder’s bank after the customer disputes the charge.Chargeback disputePayments & chargebacksA chargeback dispute is the process in which a merchant challenges a chargeback by sending evidence to the bank that the payment was valid.Chargeback feePayments & chargebacksA chargeback fee is the charge a payment processor or bank bills the merchant for handling each chargeback, on top of the reversed payment.Conversion rateTrackingConversion rate is the share of clicks that turn into a paid action, calculated as conversions divided by clicks.Cookie windowTrackingThe cookie window is how long after a click a conversion is still credited to the affiliate, often 30, 60 or 90 days.CPACommissions & payoutsCost per actionCPA (cost per action) is a commission model where the affiliate earns a fixed amount each time a referred user completes a defined action.CPLCommissions & payoutsCost per leadCPL (cost per lead) pays the affiliate a fixed amount for every valid lead, such as a registration, form submission or quote request.CPSCommissions & payoutsCost per saleCPS (cost per sale) pays the affiliate a commission on each completed purchase, usually a percentage of the order value.Credit card authorisationPayments & chargebacksCredit card authorisation is the moment the card issuer approves a payment and reserves the amount on the cardholder’s account before the money is actually taken.CVVPayments & chargebacksCard verification valueThe CVV (card verification value) is the short security code on a payment card that proves the buyer has the physical card when paying online.
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E-commerceVerticalsE-commerce is the vertical of online stores and marketplaces that sell physical or digital products, and pay affiliates a share of each sale.EPCCommissions & payoutsEarnings per clickEPC (earnings per click) is the average amount an affiliate earns for each click sent to an offer.
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Hold periodCommissions & payoutsThe hold period is the time a merchant keeps a conversion pending before approving it, to filter out refunds, chargebacks and fraud.Hybrid dealCommissions & payoutsA hybrid deal combines a fixed CPA for each new customer with a smaller RevShare percentage on their future revenue.
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iGamingVerticalsiGaming is the vertical of online gambling: casinos, sports betting, poker and similar real-money games, usually paying per depositing player or a share of revenue.Incentivized trafficTrafficIncentivized traffic comes from users who are rewarded, with points, coins or cash, for clicking or converting on an offer.
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Payment processorPayments & chargebacksA payment processor is the company that handles card and other online payments for a merchant, moving money between the customer’s bank and the merchant’s account.PostbackTrackingA postback is a server-to-server call that reports a conversion back to the tracking platform, without relying on browser cookies.PPICommissions & payoutsPay per installPPI (pay per install) is a payout model in which the affiliate earns a fixed amount every time a referred user installs an app or a piece of software.PPSCommissions & payoutsPay per sale / signupPPS (pay per sale or pay per signup) pays a fixed amount for each new paying member, a model widely used by adult and subscription sites.Program termsProgram termsProgram terms are the rules of an affiliate program or offer that say what is paid, how and when, and which promotion methods are allowed.
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SEOTrafficSearch engine optimizationSEO (search engine optimization) is the work of improving a website so it ranks higher in Google and other search engines and gets more free, organic traffic.SOI / DOITrafficSingle / double opt-inSOI (single opt-in) pays when a user submits their email; DOI (double opt-in) pays only after they confirm it.
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TrackingTrackingTracking is the system that records which affiliate sent each click and conversion, so the right partner gets credited and paid.TrafficTrafficTraffic is the stream of visitors an affiliate sends to an offer, from search, ads, social media, email or any other channel.Traffic sourcesTrafficTraffic sources are the channels an affiliate uses to send visitors to an offer, such as SEO, email, social, search ads or push.